﻿Providence, R.I. (January 31, 2011) - Melissa Bavoux, a senior loan accounting representative at Citizens Bank, has been named the newest recipient of the company’s Community Service Sabbatical. Bavoux begins her paid three-month paid leave on February 1st at Connecting for Children & Families, Inc. (CCF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of family and community life in Woonsocket. Bavoux will return to Citizens in May 2011.

Bavoux will help CCF provide a financial literacy program in the neighborhood elementary schools, she will work on the publication of the organization’s quarterly newsletter, participate in the planning their annual event, work in the child care center and support CCF’s weekly food pantry.

“We believe that a healthy bank sits at the heart of a healthy community,” said Ned Handy, President, Citizens Bank, Rhode Island. “Our sabbatical program is of particular value to the communities we serve. Our colleagues have the opportunity to spend three months making a significant impact on the lives of people served by local nonprofits like Connecting for Children & Families. Melissa is passionate about community service and her enthusiasm is sure to benefit CCF’s programs and services.”

Citizens’ Community Service Sabbatical program enables a colleague with three or more years of service to work full-time in the community for three months and bring back to the workplace a greater appreciation of the social needs and challenges in the community at-large. Ninety colleagues have been sent into their communities since the program started in 1994.

Established in 1995, Connecting for Children & Families continues to be a leader in Woonsocket on child and family issues. CCF strives to help inner-city children get a good start in life, begin school ready to learn, and to achieve academic success. CCF also strives to ensure that children and their families are part of a safe and welcoming community where there are many opportunities to learn, grow and develop. For more information, visit the organization’s website at: http://www.ccfcenter.org/.

Bavoux, a resident of North Attleboro, Mass., has been volunteering since she was a teenager. Since becoming an adult she has committed to one outreach activity per month on her personal time. This includes painting a women’s shelter, washing cars for charity and cleaning up a local park. Bavoux also leads a team of Citizens colleagues who are dedicated to community initiatives and involvement. Bavoux has worked at Citizens Bank for more than four years, currently as a senior loan accounting representative in Citizens’ Program Support Department.

About Citizens Bank
Citizens Bank is a division of RBS Citizens, N.A., operating its seven-state branch network in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. It has 82 branches and 195 ATMs in Rhode Island.

RBS Citizens, N.A. is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $136 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I. CFG’s two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 12-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. CFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in about 40 states. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc).